Project Info

I-5 - SR 501 Ridgefield Interchange - Project Specifics

Public involvement

Your thoughts and opinions are important to us. An open house was held on June 24, 2009 by WSDOT, the City of Ridgefield and the Port of Ridgefield to learn about proposed construction truck routes and traffic impacts in the city of Ridgefield during construction.

An Open House and Design Access Hearing were held on October 1, 2008 at the Ridgefield Community Center. This event provided an opportunity for WSDOT and the city of Ridgefield to provide information and get the public's comments on the project's design and other issues to be addressed.

The project was originally presented to the public at an Open House on April 11, 2006 at Union Ridge Elementary School. The project was also on display at five open houses in Battle Ground in 2007. The open houses took place on February 22, March 27, May 9, June 14 and September 26.

This project has been presented at several community meetings throughout 2007-2008. These have included:

Public involvement efforts have been underway on this project since January 2001 when this interchange was included in the larger I-5/I-205 North Corridor Study and Route Development Plan.

As part of this study, the then current conditions and future needs of the interchange were evaluated and shared with the public along with the rest of the corridor. An extensive public involvement effort was a part of that project, which included stakeholder interviews, a citizen/business advisory committee, mailings to neighbors and interested parties, six open houses, a newspaper insert, press releases and newspaper advertisements. The outcome was a recognized need for future reconstruction of the interchange at I-5 and SR 501, however other projects ranked higher in funding priority. It was decided that an interim improvement project would be the best alternative until a long-term solution and funding became available. The interim project, constructed in 2005, installed two traffic signals on SR 501 at the I-5 interchange on and off ramps; added right turn lanes to both I-5 off ramps and the southbound on ramp; added a left turn lane from SR 501 westbound onto 56th Place just west of I-5; and installed median curbing on SR 501 on the east and west sides of I-5.

This project will improve safety in the interchange vicinity by reconstructing the bridge over I-5, increasing turn lane storage, and by controlling access onto and off of SR 501 at the interchange.

Environmental protection

WSDOT makes every effort to assess and minimize environmental impacts from our projects. A detailed analysis of the project’s environmental impacts has been completed. An appropriate plan for mitigation was developed and will be implemented during project construction. Additional information will be posted on this Web page as the environmental work progresses.